Chapter 24: The Spell That Shouldn’t Kill

Gallagher’s condition was dire.

Even a saintess couldn’t revive him now.

He was as good as dead.

“…Huh?”

Gaon was taken aback.

Why…

Gallagher had been unprepared, but Gaon hadn’t expected him to die in one hit.

Mages typically had strong magical resistance, which grew significantly with each additional Circle, allowing them to handle more mana.

As a 6th Circle mage, Gallagher’s resistance should have been formidable.

Yet, Thunder Stroke, a 5th Circle spell, had killed him instantly.

Even with the spell’s favorable matchup against Gallagher’s ice-based shield, it didn’t make sense.

The situation was utterly bizarre.

If Gaon hadn’t witnessed it himself, he would’ve dismissed such a story as nonsense.

Thud!

Gallagher collapsed, his body devoid of any mana.

He was dead.

Could it be…

A sudden thought made Gaon’s eyes flash.

Is it because of Pacheongi?

Most mages relied on mana as their foundation.

But in this life, Gaon used Pacheongi instead.

Could Pacheongi have nullified Gallagher’s magical resistance?

It wasn’t a far-fetched idea.

Right, it was strong against demonic energy, so it could be strong against mana too.

When the demonic rift opened, the southern part of Rabes had been saturated with demonic energy, weakening mana’s influence.

Yet Gaon hadn’t felt any diminishment in his power.

This suggested Pacheongi was resistant to demonic energy.

If it was strong against demonic energy, it could also be strong against mana.

I need to confirm this.

It wasn’t certain yet, so he needed to test whether Pacheongi was indeed effective against mana—and if so, whether it was unilaterally dominant or mutually destructive.

Gaon glanced at the Rud Tower mages and the Sailer family group behind them.

Both groups displayed the same reaction: denial of reality.

Will they run?

From their demeanor, it seemed likely they’d flee once they snapped out of their shock.

Gaon was confident he could kill them all before they escaped, as they were within his range, despite the distance.

But he had no intention of slaughtering them.

If they fled, he planned to subdue them instead—he needed information.

Tch.

This made Gallagher’s death all the more regrettable, as he likely knew a lot.

Soon, some of the group began stirring, murmuring among themselves.

Gaon cast a spell he had developed himself in the past—a 7th Circle spell.

“Wall of Ifrit.”

Whoosh!

A wall of fire erupted, encircling Gaon, the Rud Tower mages, and the Sailer family.

The flames, initially one meter high, rapidly grew to five meters before stopping.

Whether due to their escape routes being cut off or the overwhelming magic, both groups stood stunned, showing no signs of fleeing or resisting.

With a more relaxed expression, Gaon approached them, thinking, I hope they know a lot.

It was time to extract information.

***

“…What?”

Taylor couldn’t hide his shock at the unexpected turn of events.

“Master!” he called urgently to Rotes. “Wasn’t that Thunder Stroke Gaon-nim just used?”

“Yes,” Rotes nodded.

It was indeed Thunder Stroke, though it was at least twice as large as other mages’ versions.

“How is it so fast?” Taylor asked.

“Because he’s 7th Circle,” Rotes replied.

“But our Vice Tower Master, Graxios, is also 7th Circle, and it takes him five seconds!”

Graxios, Gardion Tower’s Vice Tower Master and an electric magic specialist, needed five seconds to cast Thunder Stroke.

Yet Gaon’s spell had struck the moment the magic circle appeared, with virtually no casting time.

“Gaon-nim has always had an exceptionally fast casting speed,” Rotes explained. “And it’s not like his spells lack power. I didn’t expect Gallagher to die in one hit, though…”

“Could there have been something wrong with Gallagher? His resistance should’ve made that impossible…”

“Indeed. Even with Gaon-nim’s magic, considering resistance…”

Oris swallowed hard at their conversation.

Gallagher’s dead?

According to Rotes and Taylor, the 6th Circle mage Gallagher had been killed with a single spell.

At that moment—

Whoosh!

A curtain of fire appeared, quickly growing massive and obstructing their view.

Oris glanced at Rotes, wondering if something had gone wrong.

Rotes wore an expression of awe, while Taylor looked puzzled.

From their reactions, Oris deduced two things:

First, this wasn’t a commonly known spell—otherwise, Taylor wouldn’t be confused.

Second, it was Gaon’s spell, as Rotes’s reaction confirmed.

“Master, what’s that? Is it something from Rud Tower?” Taylor asked.

“No, that’s the Wall of Ifrit. Gaon-nim created it himself. I never thought I’d see it again.”

“Oh! That’s the Wall of Ifrit? Wow, what incredible firepower!”

“…!”

Oris was stunned.

The Wall of Ifrit?

Even Oris, who wasn’t well-versed in magic, knew of the Wall of Ifrit.

It was one of the signature spells of Gaon Varta, the first Tower Master of Gardion Tower and the greatest mage in history.

Wait.

A sudden realization made Oris’s eyes widen.

With a hesitant expression, he looked at Rotes and said, “Rotes-nim.”

“Yes?”

“Is Gaon-nim… the Gaon-nim I’m thinking of? The first Tower Master…?”

It couldn’t be.

Hadn’t Gaon just entered the 7th Circle?

Yet the situation was so bizarre he had to ask.

Rotes looked puzzled.

Oris realized his assumption might be wrong, but then—

“You didn’t know?”

“…!”

Oris was floored by Rotes’s response.

“Really?”

“Yes. Didn’t Gaon-nim tell you?”

At that moment—

“Knights have appeared from the rear! They look like Sailer family knights!” a knight on guard shouted.

Everyone turned to look.

A large number of knights and soldiers came into view.

“Let’s deal with them first and talk later. Gaon-nim said to focus on defense, but…” Rotes trailed off, activating his Circles.

He turned to Oris. “What should we do?”

Oris let out a murmur, glancing at the Wall of Ifrit.

With a resolute expression, he said, “They say the best defense is offense. Besides, Gaon-nim buffed us.”

The knights had told him Gaon’s buffs were extraordinary, making them feel like Swordmasters.

Staying passive in this situation would be foolish and could lead to greater losses.

Rotes grinned at Oris’s words. “Understood. Taylor, prepare yourself.”

***

Haa…

Tomen sighed inwardly.

The situation was incomprehensible, like a dream.

No, it had to be a dream—there was no other explanation.

A 6th Circle mage like Gallagher dying to a single spell?

It was absurd.

How…

Of course, Tomen knew it wasn’t a dream.

It was reality.

Who is that?

He stared at the young man talking with Rud Tower’s mages after killing Gallagher.

The man appeared young, but that couldn’t be his true form.

After all, he had killed Gallagher in one hit.

He had to be a 7th Circle Archmage.

Achieving the 7th Circle at such a young age was impossible.

It must be Polymorph.

Gardion Tower had three 7th Circle mages: Tower Master Sterun, Vice Tower Master Graxios, and Great Elder Balversa.

Tomen assumed one of them was using Polymorph.

The question was why any of them would leave the tower and come this far.

“Ugh…”

Tomen murmured, wondering, What are they talking about?

He couldn’t hear their conversation, but the mages’ expressions—distorted or filled with fear—suggested it wasn’t good news.

They’ll come for us next.

The chances of the young man leaving after talking to Rud Tower’s mages were near zero.

The Sailer family would be next.

He wouldn’t kill us, would he?

The Sailer family was a prominent noble house in the Glaco Kingdom.

Unless Gardion Tower wanted to antagonize the kingdom, they wouldn’t harm them.

At that moment—

“Father.”

Tomen’s eldest son and heir, Lyren, approached, speaking in a hushed voice.

“How about using it?”

“…!”

Tomen’s eyes gleamed, realizing what Lyren meant.

It was a sorcery artifact called Arhan’s Stake.

Arhan’s Stake had multiple effects, but its primary function was suppressing ambient mana.

Though Tomen hadn’t tested it himself, those who provided it claimed it could affect even a 7th Circle Archmage, reducing their power to 5th Circle level.

“Even at 5th Circle, can our knights handle it?”

“We could enhance its effect. It’d drop them to 4th Circle—more than manageable.”

Tomen’s eyes lit up.

Arhan’s Stake had two activation methods.

The first was standard activation, which simply triggered it.

The second was enhanced activation, which required sacrificing a mage of 2nd Circle or higher to amplify all effects.

With enhancement, the target’s power would drop to 4th Circle, easily suppressible by the remaining knights.

Only Derrick, the Sword Expert knight commander, would need to act.

There was one issue.

“If we kill them all, Rud Tower will likely investigate. Are you confident?”

Rud Tower was unaware of Arhan’s Stake, and it had to stay that way.

Activating it meant killing all of Rud Tower’s mages as well.

“Only we’ll be left,” Lyren replied.

The dead don’t talk.

Rud Tower’s investigation wouldn’t matter.

Tomen, after a moment’s thought, pulled a finger-sized stake from his pocket and handed it to Lyren.

“Activate it now. The longer we delay, the worse it’ll get.”

Lyren took the stake and headed toward the Sailer family’s mage.

Tomen watched the young man and signaled to Derrick, “Prepare.”

“Yes.”

Derrick bowed and moved to the knights.

Soon after—

“Argh!”

A scream came from the rear—the voice of their mage.

Hummm…

A grand sound echoed, followed by—

Whoosh!

A massive blood-red barrier enveloped the young man, Rud Tower’s mages, and the Sailer family.

The moment the barrier appeared, Tomen felt his breathing grow heavy and his body sluggish.

But he grinned widely.

If I’m feeling this…

If a non-mana user like Tomen was affected this much, how would it impact mages?

“Commander Derrick!”

Tomen signaled Derrick, who shouted to the knights, “By your command!”

The knights charged toward the young man and Rud Tower’s mages.

Some Rud Tower mages, still alive, began charging back with desperate expressions.

But those expressions quickly twisted.

Slash.

Derrick beheaded the first mage he met and continued forward, cutting down others.

Tomen was certain the situation would soon be resolved.

But then—

“…What?”

Tomen was stunned by what followed.

Crackle!

Derrick, leading the charge, froze solid.

He wasn’t the only one.

It started with Derrick, but all the knights following him froze and shattered into pieces.

Tomen was speechless.

Arhan’s Stake had activated successfully—evidenced by the Rud Tower mages’ earlier deaths.

You…

What’s your connection to the Abyss?

“…!”

Tomen was horrified.

How does he know about the Abyss?!